This invention relates generally to cushioning devices and pillows and, in particular, to a foam pillow cushion construction made of foam panels and a filler between them.
Various cushion constructions have been utilized recently for the particular purposes of reducing the weight of pillows, reducing the amount of material required to make them, and increasing the amount of resilience and the cushioning capability of the pillows themselves.
The inventions of Hacklander, U.S. Pat. No. 2,878,153 as well as Wagner, U.S. Pat. No. 2,890,975 and Turck, U.S. Pat. No. 2,953,195, all disclosed methods for constructing and fabricating pillow cushion devices. In most of these devices, an internal cavity portion of the pillow was formed to contain either a sheet of different foam material, was void of any material whatsoever, or utilized the same foam material incorporated into the cushion itself. More recently, a pillow construction was disclosed by Finkel, U.S. Pat. No. 3,064,279, in which an "egg-carton" configuration was utilized, together with an interior barrier of foam material. The present invention is a viable alternative to these pillow cushion construction techniques, and offers several distinctive advantages from the disclosed art which tends to utilize foam construction within the cushion cavity. The present invention, for example, by utilizing within the cavity portion a textile fiber filler material which is fluid, rather than rigid, has the capability of being lighter in weight than the present conventional foam insert devices. Additionally, the insertion of a fiber filler can improve the cushioning effect by making more gradual the resilience of the cushion to a given load. Under compression, by utilizing the construction presently described, the "egg-carton" finger-like projections are kept separate since a portion of the filler is capable of wedging between them. Similarly, the sides, that is, the upper and lower portions of the pillow, are kept from sliding one against the other, since the filler material surrounds the projections, keeping them in place more effectively. There is a more uniform deformation of the pillow in all directions by utilizing the construction of the present invention, unlike the overly-rigid deformation of conventional pillows in any direction parallel to the surface of the interior foam insert. Similarly, with the present invention there is less problem in sealing the sides since the filler material can be pushed in easily, enabling the edges to make contact and be sealed. Such filler material is easier to insert between the upper and lower portions of the foam cushion, and does not have a tendency to crack, as foam does, nor to accumulate in one area of the pillow cushion, since it is maintained in place by the projecting fingers. Similarly, conventional cushions utilizing foam can often be noisy when loaded, since the friction between the insert and the projections can cause a rubbing sound.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a light-weight, comfortable pillow cushion which retains its shape more effectively and imparts improved cushioning resilience. It is further an object of the present invention to present facilitated construction and fabrication of such a cushion by making it easier to insert the inner cavity portion filler material.
Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to spread its cushioning features consistently in all directions within the inner cavity portion, while restraining cracking, and preventing the filler material from accumulating and becoming lumpy in one area of the pillow.